Rescuers unable to save stray porbeagle shark

CHATHAM — The brain of a porbeagle shark that died after it was found in Ryder’s Cove Friday morning will be sent off to a scientist for study.

It is not clear why the 6 foot, 11 inch male pelagic shark, which is normally found in much colder waters, was so far into Pleasant Bay, said Cynthia Wigren, the executive director of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Wigren was notified about the shark at about 9:15 a.m. and responded to the shallows of the cove. With help from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, rescuers tried to save the shark by keeping it alongside a boat while shepherding it through the North Cut and out to the open ocean, Wigren said.

At times it appeared that the attempts to open the shark’s gills and save it were working, Wigren said, but after a few moments those signs of life ceased.

“It was never strong enough,” she said.

Although it showed no visible exterior signs of harm, for a cold-water shark to be that far into the warmer bay waters, something likely was up.

“For it to wind up so far in Pleasant Bay, there had to be something wrong with it,” Wigren said.

This is not the first time a porbeagle has died close to the Cape’s shores. Late last summer, a porbeagle was found near a jetty in Provincetown.